Self-Care Sunday: Start Your Week Right

Self-care Sunday has become quite the thing. And by thing, I mean, it’s become quite the hashtag on Instagram. There are 1.4 million posts and counting. I’m here for it! Anytime self-care gets a boost, especially when an alteration is involved (say it with me self-care Sunday), it’s a good thing.

Sunday self-care — what is it?

It’s just self-care, but on Sunday! I know it seems silly to clarify, but there isn’t one particular thing that self-care Sunday means, it’s clever wording that hopefully catches your attention and increase your chances of thinking about self-care and acting on self-care each Sunday.

Self-care Sunday ideas

In your mind what day of the week is the start of the week? We have this debate at my office about whether Sunday or Monday is the start of the week (we also debate about whether you spit out your gum or swallow it, but that’s a conversation for another day). I have my calendar displayed as Sunday – Saturday, but I think of Monday as the start and Sunday as the pre-game. I mention this because self-care Sunday for me should has one two main purposes — to restore and prepare. To return to yourself after a week, repair, renovate, and prepare to start again.

Restore

A lot goes on during the week. Let me repeat that. A LOT GOES ON DURING THE WEEK. And sometimes I don’t even realize how worn down I am until I reach Sunday morning. Part of my self-care Sunday routine is to restore myself. You hit reset at anytime, but there are natural breaks to our years (New Years), weeks (Sundays), and days (transitioning from personal time to work, and work to personal) that nudge us a little harder to restore.

Sunday is a great opportunity to get your mind and body in a place that feels good.

Things I consistently do on Sunday to restore

• workout
• church and read my bible study
• family time, usually a walk
• do my hair

Other ideas that restore

• paint your nails
• a long shower or bath
• meditation
• yoga
• color or doodle in silence
• listen to a feel good playlist
• read an inspirational book

p.s. I’ve listed out lots of other self-care ideas in this post and self-care during postpartum in this post, plus lot of self-care ideas on @syd.nord, like this 30-minute self-care recipes post, if you want more!

Prepare

I am a better wife, a better mom, and better ME when I have my ducks in a row. When I can get all of the things out of my head and into a plan, or even better, into action. Which is why part of self-care for me on Sundays is grocery shopping, meal prepping, . I know there are a lot of haters out there that don’t like to say grocery shopping is self-care. But if you fast forward my life to Monday or Tuesday and I haven’t yet gone grocery shopping you’re going to find a stressed out Sydney.

I know to be my best self I need to have some things already in motion for the week. I don’t want to use my brain power to think about what we want to eat on Tuesday when Tuesday comes around. I want to look at my notepad and make it. I don’t want to forget that I have a hair cut on Wednesday and call Jeff in a panic to see if he can pick the girls up from daycare. I want to have it on the calendar and set the right expectations.

Does it always go smoothly?

Heck no.

But my rate of smoothness is much higher when I prepare on Sunday than if I don’t. It makes my mind feel good to prep.

Things I do on Sunday to prepare

• meal planning
• grocery shopping
• meal prep
• calendar review for upcoming week (deep dive)
• calendar review for several weeks out (at a glance)

I hope this posts helps you decide how you want to spend your self-care Sundays. Remember there is no wrong way to practice self-care Sunday. Do what makes you feel most like yourself.